Athletic protective cup supporter

ABSTRACT

An athletic protective cup supporter includes a waistband, a cup supporting pocket connected to the waistband, and a strap extending from the waistband to an end having a resilient clip.

RELATED APPLICATION

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No.60/465,167, filed on Apr. 23, 2003.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention generally relates to an athletic protective cupsupporter. More particularly, the present invention relates to anathletic supporter that includes an easily recognized visible indicia toaid in verifying that the athletic protective cup supporter is beingworn.

An athletic supporter protective cup is a protective device that is wornby men and boys participating in athletic activities. Safety equipmentvaries from sport to sport, but many sports, such as baseball, requiremale participants to wear an athletic protective cup. Similar needs arealso present with football, soccer and other sports. While it is notwidely recognized that when involved in sporting activities, it isimperative to minimize exposure to injury. Athletic protective cupprotection is considered imperative to the safety of those participatingin sports activities where injury to the groin is possible.

Traditionally, the athletic supporter is worn by a user beneath pants,shorts and other clothing associated with a sport's uniform. The typicalathletic supporter presently available consists of a panel of materialwhich terminates between the wearer's legs, at which point supportstraps are attached. The typical athletic supporter is made of a heavyduty elasticized material. See, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,003,972,the contents of which are incorporated herein.

In order to address concerns relating to the protection of athletes fromgroin injuries, athletic leagues have instituted regulations that allplayers must wear protective cups and need to provide visual indiciathat the cups are being worn. Conventional athletic supporters fail toprovide this visual indicia.

Accordingly, there is a need for a means to identify individuals wearingathletic supporters which is simplified in its construction andapplication. There is a further need for easily recognized visibleindicia to aid in verifying that the athletic protective cup supporteris being worn. The present invention fulfills these needs and providesother related advantages.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention resides in an improved athletic protective cup. Ina preferred form of the invention, an athletic protective cup supporterincludes a waistband, a cup supporting pocket connected to thewaistband, and an elongated strap extending from the waistband andterminating at a resilient clip.

The cup supporter further includes a connector for attaching the strapand the waistband. The connector includes a male portion and a femaleportion operationally engaging the waistband therebetween.

The cup supporter further includes an aperture on the waistband, and theconnector includes a male portion insertable through the aperture toengage a female portion of the connector. The male and female portionsoperationally engage the waistband therebetween.

The aperture is located through the waistband opposite the cupsupporting pocket.

The cup supporter also includes an identification tag associated withthe clip.

The waistband comprises a portion of an inner garment, and the clipoperationally engages a waistband of an outer garment. The cup islocated in the cup supporting pocket and the pocket is sewn shut.

A method for identifying an athlete wearing an athletic protective cupsupporter involves connecting a first end of an elongated strap to awaistband of an inner garment having a cup supporting pocket holding aprotective cup.

The elongated strap is looped from the waistband of the inner garment toa waistband of an outer garment in an area between the inner and outergarments. The looping further includes folding the strap around a shirttail tucked into the area between the inner and outer garments.

A second end of the strap is attached to the waistband of the outergarment.

An identification tag is secured on the second end of the strap.

As part of connecting the first end of the elongated strap to thewaistband of the inner garment, a male portion of the strap is insertedthrough an aperture of the waistband of the inner garment to engage afemale portion of the strap, operationally engaging the waistband of theinner garment therebetween. Another part of connecting the first end ofthe elongated strap to the waistband of the inner garment includesplacing the protective cup in the cup supporting pocket.

Other features and advantages of the present invention will becomeapparent from the following more detailed description, taken inconjunction with the accompanying drawings which will illustrate, by wayof example, the principles of the invention.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The accompanying drawings illustrate the invention. In such drawings:

FIG. 1 is a rear elevational view of an athletic supporter embodying thepresent invention including an identification strap;

FIG. 2 is a top plan view of the identification strap of the athleticsupporter of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a side elevational view of the athletic supporter of FIG. 1;and

FIG. 4 is a close-up view of the identification strap shown in FIG. 3,taken along line 4—4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

As illustrated in FIGS. 1–4, the present invention is concerned with animproved athletic protective cup supporter 10 that includes an elongatedidentification strap 12. The athletic supporter 10 comprises anundergarment (or inner garment) that further includes a waistband 14, acup pouch 16 located on the front of the athletic supporter 10 andextending downwardly from the waistband 14. The athletic supporter 10may be made of an elastic fabric that allows a user to position aprotective cup for maximum safety and protection. The athletic supporter10 also includes at least two straps 18 which connect the waistband 14to the cup pouch 16.

The cup pouch 16 is generally triangular and designed to contain agenerally triangular protective cup (not shown). The protective cup maybe manufactured of any suitable material, but is preferably formed ofplastic. While the cup pouch 16 may be left open so as to allow theprotective cup to be inserted and removed from the cup pouch, it may bepermanently closed once the protective cup is inserted. The cup pouch 16may be stitched closed so as to permanently incorporate the protectivecup therein. Heavy stitching may be done at the factory in order topermanently incorporate the protective cup within the cup pouch 16. Thestraps 18 may be made of an elastic material and provide additionalsupport for correcting the position of the athletic supporter 10 on theuser. The waistband 14 may also be made of an elastic material.

The identification strap 12 may be securely attached to the waistband 14at the rear of the athletic supporter 10, generally opposite the cuppouch 16. The waistband 14 includes an aperture 20 for connecting oneend 21 of the strap 12 to the waistband 14. The opposite end 23 of theidentification strap 12 includes a resilient clip 22 for holding anidentifier 24. The identifier 24 may come in various forms including,without limitation, a flexible identification tag, an elongated piece offabric or ‘flag’ (such as is used in playing flag football), arectangular pocket or slot (with or without holes for connecting thepocket to the strap 12) with a transparent side (e.g., clear plasticlayer) may cover the slot so as to enable a user to view a label orpaper cutout, business cards, cards with logos, indicia and othermarkings or the like which are inserted into the pocket or to protectthe contents of the pocket from the environment. The label or cutout mayinclude various identifying information such as the user's name,corporate logo, player number, team name, etc.

The end 21 of the strap 12 includes a connector 26 which mechanicallyconnects the strap 12 to the waistband 14. The connector 26 includes anelongated resilient body 28 having a male member 30 and a female member32 for engaging the waistband 14 therebetween. The body 28 is bendablegenerally along at least one fold 34. The male member 30 is insertablethrough the aperture 20 to engage the female member 32 and operationallyengage the waistband 14 therebetween. Alternatively, the connector 26may include, without limitation, snaps, hook and loop fasteners,magnetic fasteners, adhesive surfaces or other means of securing thestrap 12 to the athletic supporter 10. Alternatively, the strap 12 maybe attached by heavy stitching to the supporter 10 to insure a strongattachment to the waistband 14. In another alternative, the fasteners onthe connector 26 may engage mating fasteners on the waistband 14 insteadof each other.

The identification strap 12 may be made from any suitable material,preferably plastic, though other materials may be used including,without limitation, cloth made of natural fibers, artificial fibers(e.g., nylon) or the like. From its point of attachment on the waistband14, the identification strap 12 is designed to extend below and aroundthe shirt tail 38 of the user's uniform top when the uniform top istucked into the uniform pants or shorts 36 of the user. The strap 12then extends upwards, between the shirttail 38 and the uniform pants orshorts 36, such that the clip 22 extends above and attaches to thewaistband of the uniform pants or shorts 36 of the user. The identifier24 should be easily visible when the user's uniform shirt or jersey istucked into their outer garment (e.g., uniform pants or shorts) 36,which is beneficial not only to the athlete, but also to spectators,coaches, umpires and other supervisory personnel. The clip 22operationally engages a waistband of the outer garment. The identifier24 is configured so that it is capable of being used in almost allapplications.

In use, the first end 21 of the elongated strap 12 is connected to thewaistband 14 of the inner garment 10 having the cup supporting pocket 16holding the protective cup.

The elongated strap 12 is looped from the waistband 14 of the innergarment 10 to the waistband of the outer garment 36 in an area betweenthe inner and outer garments 10, 36. The looping further includesfolding the strap 12 around the shirt tail 38 tucked into the areabetween the inner and outer garments 10, 36.

The second end 23 of the strap 12 is attached to the waistband of theouter garment 36. The identifier 24, in the form of an identificationtag or the like, is secured on the second end 23 of the strap 12.

As part of connecting the first end 21 of the elongated strap 12 to thewaistband 14 of the inner garment 10, the male portion 30 of the strap12 is inserted through the aperture 20 of the waistband 14 of the innergarment 10 to engage the female portion 32 of the strap 12;operationally engaging the waistband 14 of the inner garment 10therebetween. Another part of connecting the first end 21 of theelongated strap 12 to the waistband 14 of the inner garment 10 includesplacing the protective cup in the cup supporting pocket 16.

The identifier 24, attached to the clip 22 at the back of the waistbandof the outer garment may be made easily identifiable by design. Thedesign may be formed directly on the identifier 24. The identifier 24may be a bright color such as red, green, blue orange or otherwisematched to the colors traditionally associated with a particularprofessional sports team. The identifier 24 may also include a logouser's name, corporate logo, player number, team name, etc. Theidentifier 24 held by the clip 22 should extend down approximately twoinches from the top of waistband of the user's uniform pants or shortsand is approximately one inch in width. Alternatively, the identifier 24may also be four inches long and ¼ inch in width.

From the foregoing it is to be appreciated that the present inventionprovides a high reliable, simplified method by which a coach, umpire orathletic supervisor can identify athletes are wearing protectiveequipment, which effectively eliminates serious injury being incurred.The athletic supporter with cup 10 and identification strap 12 is easilyidentifiable as safety feature for all athletes.

In the alternative, a conventional athletic supporter may be retrofit tobe used in conjunction with an identification strap, such as the onedescribed above. A means of retrofitting a conventional athleticsupporter makes it possible for the safety of conventional athleticsupports to be improved. In this embodiment, the identification strapmay be attached to a conventional athletic supporter by a fasteningmeans in the form of snaps, hook and loop, magnetic or other means ofsecuring the tag to the user's athletic supporter. The strap may includea base and a mount where the base attaches the mount to the waistband ofthe athletic supporter. The base may be attached to the athleticsupporter in several ways including, but not limited to, stitching andadhesive. The mount may then be attached to the base using a fasteningmeans in the form of snaps, hook and loop, magnetic or the like. Thebase and mount may be made from any suitable material, preferablyplastic, though other materials may be used including, withoutlimitation, cloth made of natural fibers, artificial fibers (e.g.,nylon) or the like. The mount may be made easily identifiable by design.The design may be formed directly on the mount and the mount may be abright color such as red, green, blue orange or otherwise matched to thecolors traditionally associated with a particular professional sportsteam. The mount may also include a logo user's name, corporate logo,player number, team name, etc.

In another alternative, the identifier 24 may be incorporated into theback of the waistband 14 of the athletic cup supporter 10 by sewing theidentifier 24 to the back of the waistband 14 with heavy thread and/orlike material. The identifier 24 is preferably made of plastic and/orlike material and approximately ¼ inches in width and four inches long.The identifier 24 may also be a predetermined color and/or include alogo that extends in front of and above the seat of the user's pants,shorts or uniform. This would allow for the identifier 24 to be attachedto the top of the waistband 14 of the athletic supporter 10 and extendpreferably 2 inches in front of the seat of the user's pants, shorts oruniform. The identifier 24 would be located above the user's backside soas to not be cumbersome and impact the user's athletic performance. Inthe alternative, the flexible identifier 24 may include a fasteningmeans in the form of snaps, hook and loop, magnetic, adhesive or othermeans of securing the tag to the user's athletic supporter 10. Aretrofit makes it possible for the safety of conventional athleticsupports to be improved. In this embodiment, the identifier 24 may alsobe attached to a conventional athletic supporter by attaching afastening device to identifier 24 in the form of snaps, hook and loop,magnetic or other means of securing the identifier 24 to the user'sathletic supporter.

Although several embodiments have been described in detail for purposesof illustration, various modifications may be made without departingfrom the scope and spirit of the invention. Accordingly, the inventionis not to be limited, except as by the appended claims.

1. An athletic protective cup supporter, comprising: a waistband; a cupsupporting pocket connected to the waistband; an elongated strapextending from the waistband and terminating at a resilient clip; and anidentification tag associated with the clip to be worn on an outergarment to visibly indicate that the support is being worn.
 2. Theathletic protective cup supporter of claim 1, including a connector forattaching the strap and the waistband.
 3. The athletic protective cupsupporter of claim 2, wherein the connector includes a male portion anda female portion operationally engaging the waistband therebetween. 4.The athletic protective cup supporter of claim 2, wherein the waistbandincludes an aperture, and the connector includes a male portioninsertable through the aperture to engage a female portion of theconnector.
 5. The athletic protective cup supporter of claim 4, whereinthe male and female portions operationally engage the waistbandtherebetween.
 6. The athletic protective cup supporter of claim 4,wherein the aperture is located through the waistband opposite the cupsupporting pocket.
 7. The athletic protective cup supporter of claim 1,wherein the waistband comprises a portion of an inner garment, and theclip operationally engages a waistband of an outer garment.
 8. Theathletic protective cup supporter of claim 1, including a cup in the cupsupporting pocket, wherein the pocket is sewn shut.
 9. An athleticprotective cup supporter, comprising: a waistband comprising an innergarment; a cup supporting pocket connected to the waistband; a connectorfor attaching the strap and the waistband; a strap extending from thewaistband and terminating at a resilient clip removably attachable to awaistband of an outer garment; and an identification tag associated withthe clip to be worn on an outer garment to visibly indicate that thesupport is being worn.
 10. The athletic protective cup supporter ofclaim 9, wherein the waistband includes an aperture and the connectorincludes a male portion insertable through the aperture to operationallyengage a female portion of the connector.
 11. The athletic protectivecup supporter of claim 10, wherein the male and female portions capturea portion of the waistband therebetween.
 12. The athletic protective cupsupporter of claim 10, wherein the aperture is located on a portion ofthe waistband opposite the cup supporting pocket.
 13. A method foridentifying an athlete wearing an athletic protective cup supporter,comprising the steps of: connecting a first end of an elongated strap toa waistband of an inner garment comprising a cup supporting pocketholding a protective cup; looping the elongated strap from the waistbandof the inner garment to a waistband of an outer garment in an areabetween the inner and outer garments; and attaching a second end of thestrap to the waistband of the outer garment.
 14. The method of claim 13,further comprising the step of securing an identification tag on thesecond end of the strap.
 15. The method of claim 13, wherein the loopingstep further comprises the step of folding the strap around a shirt tailtucked into the area between the inner and outer garments.
 16. Themethod of claim 13, wherein the connecting step further comprises thestep of inserting a male portion of the strap through an aperture of thewaistband of the inner garment to engage a female portion of the strap,operationally engaging the waistband of the inner garment therebetween.17. The method of claim 13, wherein the connecting step further includesthe step of placing the protective cup in the cup supporting pocket.